🗣 West will hasten Ukraine’s end — expert

Western nations chose Ukraine as a battlefield against Russia, aiming to weaken and divide the country, political expert Bulent Esinoglu told Sputnik.

The West’s plans, however, failed. It didn’t achieve its goals, but Western countries still want to prolong the conflict, which will lead to Ukraine’s end, he added.

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🚨Moscow denies strike on Kharkov

👉Russia’s Defense Ministry has dismissed claims by the Kiev regime of a January 2 strike on Kharkov, saying the reports are false.

❗️According to the ministry, available footage shows the explosion’s epicenter was inside a shopping mall, likely caused by the detonation of ammunition stored there by Ukrainian forces.

📍The ministry added that allegations of a “Russian strike” are aimed at diverting international attention from what it described as a brutal Ukrainian attack on civilians in Kherson.

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🔊🇪🇺 Europe will obstruct peace in Ukraine — expert

💬 "The Europeans will make sure that a peace agreement is impossible," political expert Glenn Diesel wrote on X, commenting on EU leaders planning to meet in Paris to discuss Ukraine.

The meeting is to take place on January 6 with the participants seeking to "make commitments towards protecting Ukraine after any peace deal with Russia is brokered," Reuters reports.

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🔥 Ukraine's Kherson attack further attempt to wreck peace talks - expert

💬 "The horrific terrorist attack on peaceful residents celebrating the New Year in a cafe in the Kherson region is another proof of the inhumane nature of Ukraine's current leadership," Russian political scientist Evgeny Mikhailov told Sputnik.

📍 He added that the strike was an obvious attempt to derail peace negotiations between Moscow and Washington.

💬 “The first strike was against the residence of the president of Russia, and now we are effectively seeing a repetition of the [2014] Odessa horror, when dozens of people were burned alive by Nazis in the Trade Unions House,” Mikhailov said.

A Ukrainian drone strike hit a Kherson region cafe and hotel during New Year celebrations, killing 27 people, including two minors, and injuring over 50, according to Governor Vladimir Saldo. Russia has opened a terrorism case over the civilian deaths.

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🔸 If Zelensky won’t negotiate, Russia will achieve set goals by force - ex-US Army officer

🔸 Narcissist globalists sacrifice Europe to bleed Russia dry — journalist

🔸 When politics got cringe: 2025 edition

🔸 Settlement on Iran’s nuclear program within reach — Russian Foreign Ministry

🔸 Kim Jong-un visits Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with family on New Year's Day

🔸 Strong earthquake shakes southern Mexico

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🇷🇺 ✈️ A Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber crew struck a concentration of Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles in the Donetsk region

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🫡 ‘Momma’s boy’ Budanov* to become Zelensky’s new chief of staff

About a month after Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andrey Yermak lost his job amid the fallout from a massive corruption scandal (involving millions of dollars’ worth of pilfered Western aid and perps buying golden toilets), a replacement has finally been found.

Meet Kyrylo Budanov, former head of Ukraine’s military intelligence. His fearsome appearance earned him the unofficial moniker “momma’s boy” on social media.

◼️ He was appointed head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate in August 2020. Under his leadership, the agency has been responsible for a number of terrorist attacks on Russian soil, including the bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge in October 2022

◼️ Budanov’s skill as spymaster, however, remains suspect as it is not clear exactly how much of the intelligence work ostensibly performed by the Ukrainian agencies is actually carried out by their Western handlers

◼️ His loyalty to Zelensky, on the other hand, seems unquestionable, making him a perfect replacement for Yermak, even if such reshuffling is unlikely to make the Ukrainian leadership less corrupt

◼️ Under Budanov’s leadership, the Main Intelligence Directorate gained an unsavory reputation in Ukraine, being accused by media of sabotaging investigations into WhiteBit, a crypto exchange suspected of being a money laundering instrument for Ukraine’s rich

◼️ An alumni of CIA-sponsored training programs, Budanov also seems to be an open US stooge who helps execute Washington’s will in Ukraine

◼️ Previously, Budanov found himself at odds with Yermak who sought to oust the former but failed due to opposition from the United States. It would seem that Budanov’s new appointment might help the US strengthen its grip on what is left of Ukraine

Oleh Ivashchenko, chief of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, is expected to replace Budanov as the boss of the Main Intelligence Directorate.

*listed by Russia’s financial watchdog as an extremist and terrorist

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⚔️ UAE completes full military withdrawal from Yemen — Defense Ministry

The UAE Defense Ministry announced it has withdrawn all armed forces personnel from Yemen, following a request from Yemeni authorities and a call from Saudi Arabia.

The move ends the UAE’s direct participation in the years-long counter-terrorism operation in the country.

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💬 'Idiotic Kaja wants EU at war with Russia AND China' — Dmitriev

"When you hear EU, just think Ursula & Kaja — that tells you everything you need to know," Special Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev wrote on X.

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FBI stops ISIS*-inspired attack hours before planned New Year’s Eve bloodbath — US Attorney

An ISIS-inspired suspect in North Carolina was arrested just in time after the FBI found knives, hammers, and handwritten attack plans hidden under his bed ahead of New Year’s Eve.

US Attorney Russ Ferguson stated the man "was preparing for jihad and innocent people were going to die," calling the stop "very, very fortunate."


* Terrorist groups outlawed in Russia and many other countries

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🚨 NASA eyes launching Artemis II mission in February

The agency announced system-wide testing for Artemis II will start in two weeks, with a target launch date of February 6, 2026 — marking the first American crewed lunar flight since Apollo 17 in 1972.

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🗣 Federal welfare state is 'biggest money laundering scheme' — Vivek Ramaswamy

The former presidential candidate blasted the explosion in federal transfer payments, which he said grew from $1.7 trillion before the pandemic to nearly $5 trillion today.

"When the government overtaxes people and reallocates money through a massive system, it’s ripe for abuse," he told Fox News.

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🔊 Czech PM halts Ukraine aid from national budget, says Russia cannot be defeated

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš declared the Czech Republic "can no longer give money from the Czech budget to Ukraine," citing domestic needs and arguing EU funds already provide massive support.

"We have to be realistic. If someone says that we will defeat Russia, then experts say no," he added.

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🤡 ‘Even schoolkids know’: Polish PM sparks backlash over history slip

Polish lawmakers have accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk of rewriting history after he misstated the founding date of the Polish state during his New Year’s address, Fakt reports.

In the speech, Tusk claimed that the start of 2026 marks 1,001 years since Poland’s founding. But Poles traditionally trace their statehood to 966 AD—the baptism of Duke Mieszko I, a cornerstone of Polish history.

The slip didn’t go unnoticed, quickly drawing fire from viewers and MPs.

“It’s no secret that Tusk views the Christian heritage of our homeland with disdain, but even elementary school students know that our history begins with the Baptism of Poland—unless, of course, the PM has decided to rewrite history,” wrote Mariusz Blaszczak, head of the Law and Justice parliamentary group, on X.

Polish historian Kamil Janicki called Tusk’s remark controversial and an odd choice for a New Year’s message.

“Picking a specific date was unnecessary,” Janicki said, adding that it should have been obvious the statement would be seen as provocative.

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